Reviews

Gr 3-6-Clemency Pogue comes from a family of fantasy storytellers, but she is completely surprised when the Fairy of Frequent and Painful Pointless Antagonism meets her in the woods and stings her repeatedly. When Clemency is about to drop to her death in a deep gorge, she shouts "I don't believe in fairies" seven times before the wicked fairy finally dies. However, she finds out from an ugly hobgoblin that she has also killed six other fairies with her careless words. After unwittingly learning the hobgoblin's true name, Chaphesmeeso, and thus having power over him forever, Clemency travels the world with him in order to try to undo her misdeeds. She is able to revive some of the good fairies, such as the Tooth Fairy and the Fairy of Love and Tenderness, or at least finish their good deeds all in a day. While trying to save a child in Russia and revive the Fairy of Noninvasive Surgery who has died in her ear with the pea she was attempting to remove, Clemency must muster all her courage and wits to fight her fairy nemesis once again. Actor L.J. Ganser narrates J.T. Petty's fantasy (S & S, 2005), giving each character a distinctive voice that adds to the humor and adventure of the story. Imaginative similes, clever wordplay, and somewhat sophisticated humor and vocabulary make this an appealing story for young fantasy lovers.-Teresa Wittmann, Westgate Elementary School, Edmonds, WA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.